Locking and unlocking mechanism for dumping-cages.



D. F. LEPLEY.

LOCKING AND UNLOCKING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING CAGES. APPLICATION FILED DEC- 3. 1914.

r 1,235,209. Patented July 31, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I.

n. F. LEPLEY/ LOCKING AND UNLOCKlNG MECHANISM FOR DUMPDNG CAGES.v

APPLlCATION FILED DEC. 3. I914.

Patented July 31, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Z' mM/zg;

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Inventor,

Attorneys,

D. F. LEPLEY. v LOCKING AND UNLOCKING MECHANISM FOR DUMPING CAGES,

APPUCKHQN FILED DEC. 3. 19M.

Patente July 31, 1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- g 0v 1 71% v f Attorneys.

DANIEL LEPLEY, or CONNELIZSVILLE, PENNSYLVANIA.

LocKiNe AND UNLocKINe MECHANISM Foia nu i/iPINe-oAen-s.

Specification of Letters ll'atent.

Patented J uly 3 1, 191?.

Application filed. December 3, 1914. Serial No'. 875,352.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, DANIEL F. LEPLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Con'nellsville, in the county of Fayette and State of Peimsylvania, have invented a new and useful Locking and Unlocking Mechanism for Dumping-Cages, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to mechanism for locking and unlocking self-dumping cages such as used in mines, one of the objects being to provide means for unlocking and lock ing the cage positively while passing 'a predetermined position, the locking means employed being of such a type that it is operated positively, is not dependent upon springs, and will not work loose during the ascent or descent of the cage and, consequently, there is no danger of an accidental dumping of the cage while being lowered into or raised from the mine. Devices heretofore used for holding dumping cages in upright positions have been objectionable for the reason that, as a result of the jarring and jolting to which the cages are subjected and because of the shifting Weights, where miners are being carried, the locking means often work loose with disastrous results.

lVith the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter de scribed and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, can be made within the scope of what isclaimed, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of the invention has been shown.

In said drawings Figure 1 is an elevation of a cage having the present improvements combined there with.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of a portion of the cage and showing the relative positions of the parts after the cage has been unlocked but before it has been moved to dumping position.

Fig. 3 is a section taken approximately on line AB Fig. 2.

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a portion of the latch.

Referring to the figures by characters of reference C designates a dumping cage of any suitable construction, the same being pivotal-1y supported at its lower end as shown at Doand being arranged within a frame E adapted to travel along the guides F as ordinarily. I

The cage is provided, across its top, with an angle beam 1 provided, preferably at its center, with an opening 2. Mounted upon the frame E and above the cage is a transverse shaft '3 provided with an arm t from which extends a tongue 5. A weight 6 is mounted on the arm and serves to hold the tongue 5 normally projected downwardly into the opening 2 so that the cage C is thus held against swinging movement about its pivot D.

Crank arms 7 are eXtended from the ends of the shaft 3 and each of them carries a wheel 8. These crank arms and their wheels 8 normally project beyond one side of the frame E while mounted acent the other side of the frame but upon the upper portion of the cage C are wheels 9, these wheels being preferably mounted upon a single shaft 10. v

Erected above the shaft of the mine at the point where the dumping operation is to be effected, are opposed pairs of guide rails 11 and 12, the rails of each pair being connected in any suitable manner and having their lower ends so located that as the cage moves upwardly, the wheels 9 will pass between the rails 11 and 12. Furthermore these rails are curved outwardly as shown and thus constitute means for deflecting the wheels 9 away from the guides F and the frame E so that, if the cage is unlocked when it reaches the uppermost limit of its movement, the travel of the wheels between the rails 11 and 12 will result in the cage being shifted positively to dumping position as indicated by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

In order that the u'iilocl'zing of the cage may be effected before the wheels 9 are deflected from the frame E in the manner described, tripping rails 13 and 14 are disposed in the path of each of the wheels 8 close to the point of discharge. The lower ends of the rails are so located that, as the wheels 8 travel upwardly, they will freely enter between said rails 13 and 14. The said rails, however, are inclined inwardly toward the guides F so that after the wheels 8 have passed between the rails 13 and 141 they will be shifted inwardly toward the guides F and cause the shaft 3 to rotate. Such rotation of the shaft will result in the elevation of the weighted arm 4 and the withdrawal of the tongue 5 from aperture 2. Consequently the cage C is thus unlocked. However, as will be obvious, dumping of the cage will not take place until after the wheels 9 have been deflected laterally by the curved rails 11 and 12 in the manner before described.

The outer rails 13 are extended upwardly so as to constitute guides for the wheels 8 after the tongue 5 has been moved to unlocking position.

Assuming that the cage is in dumping position, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2, it will be apparent that when the cage is lowered, the wheels 9 will travel between the rails 11 and 12 and will swing the cage back to its proper position within the frame E and, as soon as said cage reaches such position, the wheels 8 enter between the ofiset portions of the rails 13 and 14: and shaft 3 is thus rotated so as to cause weighted arm a to move downwardly and the tongue 5 to enter the opening 2. When the wheels 8 pass from between rails 13 and 14:, the weight 6 will hold the tongue 5 in engaging position and, therefore, the cage G will be locked in upright position throughout its descent and ascent until the wheels 8 and 9 are brought into engagement with the rails 13 and let and 11 and 12 respectively for the purpose of unlocking and dumping the cage.

Obviously by utilizing means whereby the unlocking of the cage is efiected positively by a fixed structure above the top of the shaft and the dumping of the cage is likewise effected positively by fixed means above the shaft, accidental dumping of the contents of the cage before the cage has been raised to the desired point is prevented and not only is eliminated all danger of injury to the occupants of the cage, but there is likewise no danger of the coal or other material contained in the cage being dumped prematurely.

What is claimed is 1. The combination with a slidable structure and a cage tiltably mounted therein, said cage including a top cross beam, of a shaft extending transversely of the slidable structure and above the top of the cage, a locking tongue movable with the shaft and extending downwardly, said tongue being concentric with the shaft, and movable into engagement with the top beam of the cage to hold said cage against tilting movement relative to the sliding structure, a crank arm connected to one end of the shaft, parallel deflecting rails adjacent the path of the slidable structure and means upon the crank arm and movable between and past the rails, and cooperating with said rails during the upward and downward movement of the slidable structure to positively rotate the shaft to disengage the tongue from the top beam of the ca e and to rotate the shaft to move the tongue into engagement with the top beam of the cage, respectively.

2. The combination with a slidable structure and a cage tiltably mounted therein and having a top beam, of parallel deflecting rails adjacent the path of the slidable structure and having their lower ends diverging, a shaft journaled on the slidable structure, an arm extending therefrom, means on said arm for entering between the rails during the upward movement of the slidable structure to rotate the shaft in one direction and to reverse the rotation of the shaft during the downward movement of the slidable structure, an arm extending from the shaft, and a tongue depending from the arm and concentric with the shaft, said tongue being movable positively into engagement with the top beam of the cage during the downward movement of the slidable structure and being movable positively out of engagement with said top beam during the upward movement of the slidable structure.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

DANIEL F. LEPLEY.

Witnesses:

EDITH l-IARnIs, P. S. lvLxrtri-mws.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

